Training Genius: The Learning Secrets of Polyglots and Savants

K. Anders Ericsson is the world’s expert on expertise. His research has debunked centuries-old assumptions about how people become exceptionally good at certain skills.
Before Ericsson, the accepted assumption was that all ability was innate. People had capped potentials, and once that potential was reached, there wasn’t much you could do. Geniuses were born, not made.

http://the99percent.com/articles/7059/Training-Genius-The-Learning-Secrets-of-Polyglots-and-Savants